Walking in the footsteps of a giant

 

** EDIT

That day I thought I was at Ghandi Smriti but it turns out this garden is the location of his cremation, not his assassination.

A couple days later I visited the location where he took his last steps that led to the place of his assassination….

 

 

 

….

We all heard of the heroic hunger strikes that rallied this once divided country- it is because of this heroism, this selflessness that many of us look to Mahatma Ghandi for guidance in the difficult struggle for social justice. “ Be the change you wish to see in the world”.

Ghandi is a social justice giant. Today I walked in this giants footsteps.

Ghandi Smriti in the heart of New Delhi is a breathtaking tribute to the one and only. People come from all over the world to pay homage, to walk the walk.

In the centre of this vast garden and walkways is a marble centerpiece and an ever burning flame marking the location of Ghandi’s assassination in January of 1948.

 

The air is filled with the scent of gorgeous flowers and the sound of chirping birds- both of which were super prominent to this Torontonian coming from cold, cloudy skies.

The energy within the garden was one of humility. I wasn’t the only one who felt as though I was literally walking in the footsteps of a giant.

I paused at this engraving on the wall surrounding the main tribute… the Seven Social Sins. Simply put but incredibly powerful.

If I could have lingered all day I likely would have.

Throughout the day I had the opportunity to stop at a number of prominent monuments throughout the city.

My second stop: Humayun’s Tomb.

The tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun and a UNESCO World Heritage site. My driver tells me it is a mini Taj. And it was a BEAUTIFUL sight.

Third stop. India Gate- the national monument of India built in 1931.

It commemorates the lives of 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the Indian Empire.

Ohh and I saw a snake charmer….

Ugh!

My experience here in India to date has been limited to a small city surrounded by the Aravali mountains. The city comes with a number of new sights but also a number of complexities.

Although I was a “tourist” today my eye for inequality did not take to the back burner. My stomach sank when I watched a family collectively sorting through a massive garbage pile likely salvaging plastics bare hands and feet and my heart ached when I watched the small children begging to the hundreds of tourists flooding about while their parents or “leaders’ lingered in the background collecting their rewards.

These were just quick glimpses that reminded me that while I am permitted to marvel at the beauty and the history- what I am most connected to is the development that this country still desperately needs. The worlds 2nd largest economy in the world.

All in a days “work”.